BATON ROUGE, LOUISIANA (By Steve Stewart, Energy Analytics Institute, 21.May.2026, Words: 289) — Devon Energy Corporation acquired 16,300 net undeveloped acres in the core of the Delaware Basin in Lea and Eddy Counties, New Mexico, through the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) oil and gas lease sale.
This acquisition bolsters the premier Delaware Basin positions in the industry, extends inventory life, and is accretive to net asset value per share.
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The transaction value of $2.6bn ($161,500 per net acre or $6.5mn per location) is expected to be funded with cash on hand while maintaining our strong credit profile.
Devon remains fully committed to a disciplined cash-return framework, including its recently announced $8bn share repurchase program, the company announced on 21 May 2026 in an official statement.
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KEY HIGHLIGHTS
— acquisition adds 400 net locations normalized to 2-mile laterals, with expected strong well economics and low breakevens supported by:
– high net revenue interest: federal leases carry an 87.5% net revenue interest (NRI), with 10-year terms across all depths, more favorable than NRIs typical of state and fee leases in the region.
– contiguous acreage position: provides the ability to drill longer laterals and lower costs through co-development and multi-well pad development.
– top-tier productivity: highly productive wells across multiple zones expected to compete for near-term capital.
– leveraging competitive cost structure: acreage is directly adjacent to Devon’s existing Delaware Basin position, providing the ability to leverage existing facilities and infrastructure. Devon’s top-tier drilling and completion cost performance across its Delaware Basin operations provides a significant underwriting advantage in developing these assets.
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By Steve Stewart reporting from Baton Rouge. © 1999-2026 Energy Analytics Institute (EAI). All Rights Reserved.
